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Author's Note: Here's chapter 9 of Alex in Wonderland. This one hints at what may be to come both in the Greylands and on Earth. Thank you as always to all my readers for the comments, kudos, and thinking that my work is worth reading. Also thanks to the Big Closet team who work tirelessly to give us all a wonderfully supportive venue to read and post TG fiction ~Amethyst.
 

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Chapter 9: Future Tense

I awoke in Jezz’s arms, with Chrissy sleeping on my chest and Pounce asleep at Jezz’s feet. It was still dark, though a look out my window showed a sliver of light on the horizon that indicated the coming dawn. A quick check in the back of my mind showed that Michelle was still asleep as well. I carefully moved Chrissy into my lap, got into a sitting position, and waved my hand over the kida lamp above my bed to give myself some light. Jezz looked so beautiful and delicate sleeping beside me and I leaned over to softly kiss her.

I was feeling much better than the day before, the long sleep and love and support of my friends and family had helped to tame the fear and insecurity I had been feeling. I wasn’t one hundred percent better, but I knew that I would be protected from something like this happening again and if it did then I could deal with it. Looking back, there wasn’t anything I could have done differently that would have changed what had happened, and I had handled it in the best way possible once Michelle had noticed my odd behavior. My dream showed me that Halan and his family had been waiting for an opportunity like this, and they would have made it happen sooner or later. At least the way it had happened I was able to take control of the situation.

I looked over at the book on my nightstand, the object which had triggered the entire scenario yesterday, and picked it up. It was a journal of sorts about James O’Donnell’s life. James was a descendant of the druids and worshiped the old Celtic Gods. Many of his fellows had fled Earth to the Greylands using the gate during the Witch hunts in England of the early to mid-1600’s. He often mentioned fools worshiping a single God that persecuted those who followed the old ways. It was an interesting look into the life of a mid-seventeenth century pagan. Most of it was just daily life stuff, though spattered here and there were a few predictions such as a “Great Rebellion” and witch hunts that were almost spot on for the dates and locations for the English civil war and the witch hunts by Matthew Hopkins from 1644 to 1647. He also predicted the Salem Witch Hunt in 1692, though he claimed that at that time such trials would be a falsehood. The final entry was by far the most interesting.

November 22nd, 1646

It is as I feared. Hopkins and his ilk hunt us down. He cares not who he accuses, and even members of the clergy of the church he professes to follow fall victim to his plot. The whole of England is in chaos and I grow weary of this place. I have arrived at the last of the remaining standing stones, the final of the world-gates. I hope that in that other world I can find some happiness. The full moon is tonight and I will sing the prayer to Danu that will open the gate before such is no longer possible.

Danu, Mother of all the Gods, grows as weary of this chaotic world as I. I am one of the few still on this world who worships the true Gods. Few remain to pay homage to Her or Her children and use the gifts of Her magick. Those that do are hunted down, as are the Fae and other creatures bound to magick. Tonight, under Her watchful eye, I shall leave this place, basking in Her light one final time. Danu has created a veil, one which even now begins to gather all creatures of magick, including the Gods themselves. Humans alone will remain, and those who had the gift of magick will find that gift vanished along with all else once the veil has closed.

With magick gone, the world will enter a time of industry and in the twentieth century two great wars will threaten all life. Despite these wars, mankind will persevere and great cities will climb toward the skies holding the populace of entire countries. This will not last. The end of the age of industry will come upon the heels of three souls passing through the veil between the worlds in December of the thirteenth year of the new millennium. The passage of these souls will weaken the veil and magick, and the creatures bound to it, will begin to return to the world until the veil is broken but eight years later.

When the veil breaks all manner of magick will return to the world at once. The Fae will ally themselves with humans against evils long forgotten and the mindless dead that walk the earth. Magick and industry will be united in a common goal, and the old Gods will be paid homage once more. When the Gods return from the void, the world-gate will return to life. A crazed God and his followers will attempt to use a world-gate to rule both worlds.

It is done. I have passed between the worlds. I look forward to living out the remainder of my days traveling and exploring this new world. When I am dead, a fellow traveler will happen upon my body and take this book. It will pass from traveler to traveler until such time as it reaches one of two worlds. The crazed God will destroy all the world-gates but one to Earth. I ask that the one of two worlds who reads this journal find a way to destroy that world-gate. Our two worlds are destined only to bring one another destruction, so long as they remain connected.

James O’Donnell

I put down the book and let out a sigh as I looked out into the post dawn light. Then I felt for my connection to the land and probed, ~Itari?~

~Good morning Alexis,~ The earth Goddess responded.

I thought a moment as I tried to figure out where to begin. ~I’ve been reading this journal. He had some disturbing predictions. Are my dreams of war related to this?~<

~You know that I cannot interfere in the lives of mortals Alexis, the information that you ask for is too much, it is up to you mortals to determine your own futures.~

~Okay then, did Lharus really destroy all the world-gates but one?~ I asked, hoping that She would answer something that already happened.

She did answer, in the affirmative. ~Yes. All the gates are gone, but the gate to your Earth, and that one does not work.~

I thought about the journal before replying, ~Because of the veil?~

~Yes, the human’s predictions about the veil were true,~ She replied.

I wasn’t sure I liked the sounds of that. If he was right, then my switching places with Visanee and Michelle coming after would have devastating consequences for Earth. We could have very well set off a future zombie apocalypse. ~Where is this gate to Earth?~

I could feel Her melodious laughter in my mind. ~Do you have something against research my child? Go to the temple of Selune. She had the world-gates in the Greylands created, even as Danu did on Earth, and all the information you need can be found in Her temple.~

I sighed again and wondered if I should convince Patar to take me to the temple of Selune for our daily history and geography lessons, since technically this would apply. ~Thank You Itari,~ I responded before adding, ~and thank You for last night as well.~

~I have no idea what you’re talking about Alexis,~ She replied, though we both knew that She did.

~I had better get prepared; it looks like I’ll have a busy day. I’ll talk to you again soon Itari.~ I gave Her mental smile.

The Goddess wrapped me in a warm mental hug. ~Stay well until we next speak Alexis.~

I opened my eyes, and after giving Jezz another kiss and Chrissy a bit of petting, I placed the kihr on the bed as I got up to get dressed. I was just finishing tying my hair back in a ponytail as I felt Michelle starting to wake. I placed my tiara on my head and sent to her, ~Good morning sis.~

~Good morning Alex, are you feeling better this morning?~ Her mental voice was filled with concern.

~Yes and no,~ I replied. ~I’m feeling better about what happened yesterday, but I have a lot on my mind this morning.~

I could feel her relief flooding through my mind. ~I’m glad you’re feeling better, I was worried. I still want to rip that asshole Halan apart.~

~Too late,~ I replied casually. Then I told her about my dream the night before.

I could feel her anger at the plot against me, and then her relief that it was over, as she wrapped me in the warmth of her mind. ~Couldn’t have happened to a more deserving family. Itari must have been pissed to get involved like that.~

~She claims ignorance,~ I said with a mental chuckle.

~You spoke with Her? ~

~Yeah,~ I replied. ~I can talk with Her or my mom any time I want, just by speaking through the land. I’m told it blocks out other telepathic links though. I needed to ask Her about some of the stuff that I read in this journal.~

~That explains why you disappeared on me yesterday,~ Michelle griped. ~So what did you find in the journal?~

I shrugged as I checked my reflection in the mirror. ~This O’Donnell guy was a pretty accurate prophet. He predicted the English civil war, the Salem witch hunts, both world wars, the industrial revolution, and in a way he predicted the two of us coming here.~

Michelle seemed impressed as she replied, ~Those are some big predictions, but he predicted us coming here? That doesn’t seem near as important as his other predictions.~

I swallowed hard, not really sure I wanted to share this bit with her. ~It was part of a larger prediction. He said that three souls passing between worlds would cause some other major events, you know like the return of magic, magical creatures, and the Gods to Earth. And he may have mentioned something about a zombie apocalypse and the end of the technological era.~ I tried to think it as casually as possible.

It seemed to work for a moment. ~Well as long as we’re not directly involved in anything big… wait what?!~ I could feel her panic threatening to overwhelm me. ~Our coming here is going to cause a zombie apocalypse?! The end of technology?! Gods and magic returning to Earth?!~

I tried to send her calming feelings. ~Don’t worry. It sounds like the Fae will be siding with humanity to fight all the bad stuff, and try to usher in an era of cooperation, magic, and industry. Our fight is here. There is still a gate to Earth and once the Gods return to Earth and that gate is usable Lharus plans to use the gate, and the chaos on the other side, to try to take over both worlds. We’ll need to destroy that gate at some point.~

~You want to destroy our ticket home?!~ Michelle practically screamed in my head.

I rubbed at my temples, trying to prevent the headache that was already beginning to form. ~As I understand it sis, nobody will be able to use that gate to return to Earth until the Gods there have returned, and by then it will be late to warn anyone there. Besides, our parents there think that we’re both dead, and they’d never believe us if we told them who we were. This is our home now sis, we have friends and family here, and a country that’s counting on us.~

Michelle was quiet a moment before answering, ~You’re right. This is our home now and it’s kind of grown on me in the past three weeks. Speaking of home, ours should be ready sometime today for Grayle and I to move in.~

I nodded, but figuring she wouldn’t see it I thought, ~Yeah, that’s the good thing about having Thaumaturges at our disposal, they can practically grow a stone wall in minutes. Jezz and I will need to start planting the herbs we want back there soon. Maybe I can get Jezz to organize that today, while I go to the temple of Selune. Speaking of Jezz though, I should wake her so we can get some breakfast.~

~Okay Alex, let me know if you need anything.~

~You got it sis.~ I went back to bed and gently shook Jezz, until her eyes started to flutter open, and then I kissed her deeply. ~Good morning.~

The Cinole was surprised at first, but quickly returned my kiss, putting her arms around me. ~Mmmm now that’s a nice way to wake up.~

I just stared into her eyes for a moment. ~Jezz, thanks for being there for me last night. I know I didn’t say much, but you, Grayle, and Michelle were great.~

~Where else would I be? You’re my best friend, and my lover, and you needed me. Even when you don’t say anything, there is no place I would rather be than with you.~ Jezz smiled and stared back into my eyes as she thought the words.

~Aww aren’t you two in a lovey dovey mood this morning,~ Michelle interjected.

Grayle’s voice popped in. ~Much better than last night. So what’s the plan today? The usual?~

~Actually,~ I interjected, ~I was hoping you both could help Jezz get your new digs set up and a garden started, while I go to the temple of Selune after our morning Healing lessons. Then maybe I can bring some lunch out and we can do something before combat practice this afternoon. I’ll run it by Patar.~

Jezz and I ate breakfast together in my rooms, and afterwards I talked to Patar about my plans for the day. So it happened that after our Healing lessons with Larane, while Jezz and the Drakans made their way around the palace to their new home, I was on Runne’s back flying into the city. As we flew overhead I could see the pair of them swimming, as Jezz flew just above them carrying Pounce. Gradually I lost sight of them as we rose higher and headed toward the lakeshore and the city.

Soon we landed in the square, and Patar helped me to dismount before leading me into the temple of Selune. The High Priestess, the same silver furred Zenin with auburn hair and green eyes that had triggered my Gifts, met us at the doors. “Good morning Your Highness, what brings you to the temple this fine sun? How are your Gifts coming along?”

I smiled at her, “I am getting better with them every sun Priestess Alizia. Chrissy here is a great help with the Wilder Gift.” I gave my kihr an affectionate petting as she hummed happily around my neck. “And my other Gifts are coming along well too I think. As for why I’m here, I had hoped I might be able to find some information here on the world-gates.”

The priestess seemed to think for a moment before nodding. “We should have some of the books on the world-gates in the temple library Your Highness, please follow me.” With that she turned around and led me through the temple to the back, where there was a large room with two tables, some chairs, and shelves filled with books and scrolls. She started to look through the shelves, and sometimes her hand would hover over a book as if waiting for confirmation that it was the correct one before either pulling it out or leaving it. Finally she had pulled out three large books, which she set on one of the tables for me. “These should contain the information you need Your Highness. If you need anything further please come find me.”

I smiled at her as I sat down in one of the chairs. “Thank you Priestess Alizia, I’m sure these will be very informative.”

Alizia and Patar left the room to leave me to my studies, with Patar promising he would return at lunch. Once they were both gone I got down to business. The books were very informative, but a bit of a dry read. The gates had been created by the various Gods and Goddesses that controlled magic on Earth, the Greylands and five other worlds. Each gate was slightly different in design, depending on which world it was linked to. It turned out that there had been seven gates in total, and diagrams showed that they resembled a smaller version of Stonehenge. One gate led to Earth, and five others led to similar worlds, and then there was the seventh gate which was much bigger than all the rest. This gate was called a multi-gate and could connect to any gate on any of the worlds. From the looks of it, Stonehenge was one of these multi-gates.

I leafed through the records for the gate locations and found that they were spread all over. I remembered though that all of them except for the one that led to Earth had been destroyed, so I looked specifically for the one to Earth. Then I found it and shook my head, before I took another look to make sure I wasn’t seeing things. Sadly though, the location matched up with a place I had become all too familiar with in my recent geography lessons. It was right smack dab in the middle of Pysis, the capital city of the Lharusian Empire. I cursed, “Aw fuck.”

It made sense that the gate to Earth would be there. Humans would have built homes near the gate when they arrived and over time it would have of course evolved into a city as the population grew. How in the hell was I going to get into Pysis to destroy the gate? Even with Michelle’s Radiant abilities it might be a fool’s errand. I was sure I would figure something out, though I wondered why they didn’t just build new gates to replace the old ones when they were destroyed. I rested my head in my hands as I began to flip through the last book, but I was so tired that I wasn’t really seeing the pages. Maybe I got up too early, because the next thing I knew I was dreaming.

I stood in my room staring at the clouds out the window. My gaze swept downward to the large meadow that sat on the edge of the far side of the lake that stretched between the shore and Therune Forest. There were people there, and Earth and Stone Drakans placing massive stones and digging a large circular ditch. I wasn’t sure how I could see clearly so far away, but at each of the compass points on the outer edge of the circle was a shard of crystal embedded in a massive stone pillar. The whole thing looked very familiar but I was distracted by the feeling of something heavy in my hand.

It was a moment before I turned my gaze away from the activity on the north shore and looked down at the book in my hand. It was the first book I had looked at in the temple of Selune, the one with the diagrams. I opened the book to a marked page to see the diagram of the multi-gate, and that same familiar pattern that was being constructed on the north shore. The page got fuzzy as I looked at it and the diagram faded, to be replaced by a strange cursive symbol I had never seen before which glowed with a golden light. I just stared at the symbol as I heard a familiar voice calling, “Your Highness…”

“Your Highness, are you alright?” Alizia asked, gently shaking my shoulder.

I looked up at her sleepily. “Huh? Oh sorry Priestess I just suddenly got really tired. I think I had one of those dreams again.” Chrissy must have fallen asleep around my neck as well, as I could sense her starting to wake up.

“Those dreams?” she asked, though from the smile on her face I think she probably knew exactly what I was talking about. “Why don’t you tell me about it Your Highness?”

I nodded and absently petted Chrissy as I pictured the dream in my head, it was still so clear. “I’ve been having dreams where I see what I think are possible futures, and last night I saw Halan and his parents getting chased through the woods by an angry mob.” She merely nodded at this before gesturing for me to continue. “Well, I was flipping through this book.” I tapped the one that I had been flipping through and found it opened to an empty page. "Strange," I thought as I went on to add, “I suddenly got really tired and fell asleep. I dreamed that I was in my room looking out over the large meadow on the north shore of the lake and there were people and Drakans there moving large stones, and digging a large circular ditch that covered almost the whole meadow. Then I looked down at a book in my hands. It was this book here,” I said tapping the book in question. “It was open to the diagram of the multi-gate.”

Her eyes were drawn to the open book with the blank page and she gave me a knowing smile. “Was there anything else?”

I looked at her, wondering just what she was smiling about. “Yeah, the diagram in the book faded and was replaced with this strange symbol I’ve never seen before. It was kinda glowing.”

Alizia took a quill and ink from a nearby shelf and asked, “Do you think that you could draw that symbol for me on that open page there?” She gestured to the blank page in the book that I had been flipping through.

I arched my eyebrow at her. “Are you sure about that? I don’t want to damage this book, it looks old.”

The priestess handed me the quill, “Please Your Highness, I insist.”

I sighed and gave a shrug as I took the quill. “Okay, if you insist.” I dipped it in ink and let any excess drip off before I began to painstakingly draw the symbol from my dream. No sooner was I finished drawing the strange cursive symbol then it began to glow with a golden light, just like in my dream. I just stared at it a moment before turning my stare to the priestess.

Alizia was grinning at me. “Congratulations Princess, you dreamed of the gate and your dream proved true. I will begin organizing the construction of the gate at once.”

“Huh?” I asked, confused. “Wait. Just because I had a dream about building a gate, you’re going to have one built? No offense, but couldn’t anyone just say that had such a dream just to get one built? And aren’t these plans easy to come by? Anyone could just walk in and copy them.”

The priestess patted my hand affectionately. “These are diagrams only. Only High Priestesses of Selune are given the knowledge on how to actually build the gates, what materials to use, and the shapes and exact placements required for the stones. You came here to Her temple and I used my precognitive gift to decide which books you needed. One of those was the Book of Confirmation. Once you opened it, you slept and had the dream. Selune confirmed that your dream was sent by Her when the symbol you drew in the book glowed. If it had not been a dream from Her, that would not have happened.” She showed me the multi-gate diagram. “Is this as you remembered it in the dream?”

I nodded as I thought about it. “Yeah it looks the same. Only in my dream, there were four fist sized crystals embedded into massive stone pillars at each of the compass points on the outer edge of the circle. The crystals looked like they were from the crystal fountain of Itari, and were at about eye level facing the inside of the circle.”

She looked a bit taken aback by that, but nodded. “Do you think you can mark the points where these pillars should be and sketch their shape with notes about the sizes for me?”

She handed me some loose parchment and I got to works sketching and making notes after marking the locations on the diagram. Once I was finished, I showed them to her. “I think that’s everything. I take it that these aren’t a part of the usual gate construction?”

Alizia shook her head. “No they’re not, but they should be easy enough to make, Selune will help guide me. I think they may be to tie the gate to the crystal fountain.”

“Why would we want to do that?” I wondered aloud.

The priestess looked over the notes and sighed. “It’s possibly to draw off the power of the fountain instead of drawing its power from the kida in the earth and air around the gate. But why would we want to do that? It would severely restrict gate access.”

“How so?” I asked.

“If it draws power from the fountain then only those tied to the fountain would be able to activate the gate. It would mean that whenever someone wanted to use the gate the Queen or her heir would have to be there to allow it,” she explained.

I liked the sounds of that, it sounded like a good security measure. “Okay that means that only my mom and I could send people to other worlds with that gate. What if someone was trying to come from another world to ours?”

The priestess looked pensive for a moment. “I suppose in that case they wouldn’t be able to arrive in our world until one of you allowed it. You and Her Majesty would likely get a pulling feeling from the direction of the gate, and the earth might sing to you to let you know of a visitor from another world.”

I giggled at that. “So kind of like an inter-dimensional doorbell?”

She gave me a confused look. “I beg your pardon Your Highness?”

I shook my head. “Never mind, it was a private joke, but I think I get it. If we get visitors we’ll know about it and they’ll have to wait for us to open the door. That sounds like it would be a good way to keep out uninvited guests.”

Alizia nodded in agreement. “Yes it would be. With your permission Your Highness, I will start preparations for the construction of the gate. I will have to ask that you obtain the crystals from the fountain though.”

I stood up and stretched as I nodded. “Send word when you need them and I’ll take care of it. I’d rather wait until you’re ready to have them placed in the pillars though, as a precaution.”

We placed the books back in their proper places and she led me back out to the square, where Patar waited with Runne. “How went your research Your Highness?” the Jiquar inquired.

“Fruitful,” I replied. “I found the information I was looking for, and Selune decided that I needed to have a gate built on the north shore.”

Patar raised his brows in interest and Runne’s gravelly voice asked, “To which world?”

I gestured broadly, spreading my arms wide, and grinned at the Frost Drakan. “Why to all of them of course. Don’t worry, we’ll have proper locks and a doorbell to keep out the riffraff.”

“You say the strangest things Your Highness,” Patar said with a shake of his head, though I could see a smirk on his bear like face.

Runne smiled, displaying sharp canines. “Oh this is very good news indeed.”

I suppressed a shiver at his smile, as I inquired, “Oh? Why is that?”

The white Drakan turned his head toward me. “If we do go to war, we will be able to use the gate to possibly gather allies.”

I nodded, since I had been thinking much the same. “We won’t be getting any help from Earth though; their gate likely won’t work for a few more passes. Even then I don’t think I’d want much help from them, they might just decide to side with the human ruled empire rather than us.”

“I was thinking of the other worlds myself,” Runne replied. “We Drakans are explorers of a sort. We used the gates to travel to other worlds and, though it has been a few hundred passes since the gates here were destroyed, it is likely there would still be Drakans on some of the other worlds, especially our home world of Lojihn.”

Runne had given me a bit to think about as I bought some lunch for myself and Jezz at the marketplace. I bought some fresh rolls, frostberry pies, broiled fish, and pastries filled with Lharn meat, diced vegetables, and a tangy sauce. Once I had procured lunch, and placed it all safely in one of Runne’s bags, we mounted up and flew back to the rear of the castle. Michelle and Grayle had nearly finished digging a large plot of land for a garden, and Jezz was making sure their new home was sturdy and didn’t have any holes in the roof. The stable-like structure was huge and looked like it would easily be able to fit them both comfortably, even once they were full grown.

As they finished up their tasks, I started setting out lunch on a small blanket and Runne flew over the castle walls to airlift Michelle and Grayle’s lunch out to us. Soon all was completed and two very dirty Drakans began to eat their meals as Jezz and I sat down to ours. We had invited Patar and Runne to stay, but he needed to talk to Kardis about weapons for my new guards before combat practice began. So Jezz and I enjoyed some cuddling time as Chrissy and Pounce frolicked amongst the yalk trees. Michelle and Grayle were pleasantly surprised at the frostberry pies I had bought us for desert, and as they made happy noises I smiled at the pair while holding Jezz’s hand. ~I’m glad you’re both so happy right now. That means you won’t object to a bath.~

~Hey I’m not that happy Alex. I already had one swim today,~ Michelle replied.

I looked at her sternly, but couldn’t manage to hold the expression as I smiled. ~Come on sis, it’s shaping up to be a hot afternoon and Jezz and I still have a few candlemarks before combat practice, so we can get you both clean and all have a bit of fun.~

~If you want to bathe me, you’re gonna have to find me first,~ she responded as she vanished from sight.

~Hey! No Fair! Hide me too!~ Grayle exclaimed.

~Can’t do that sister mine, I’m not good enough yet to hide us both at the same time.~ Michelle sounded regretful that that was the case.

~Oh so that’s how it is huh?~ I stood up and unbuttoned my sundress, letting it fall to the ground before picking it up as I felt around with my mind. “Need I remind you Michelle that I am not only your Chosen, but an empath as well? I don’t have to see you to know where you are.” I closed my eyes and filtered out Jezz’s and Grayle’s emotions, then those of Pounce and Chrissy, and that left me with the next closest source. “Aha! There you are!” I tossed my balled up dress and it suddenly stopped mid-air to just hang there.

Michelle, figuring that she was found out, reappeared with my dress dangling off her draconic muzzle. This set Grayle off laughing, and Jezz and I weren’t far behind as we both started giggling. “Oh tha’ dress looks great on ya M’chelle,” Jezz managed to get out between giggles.

“Yes, very dignified sis!” I got out between my own bursts of giggling. “I wish the Greylands had cameras, because this is a Kodak moment!”

Michelle snorted indignantly, causing the dress to flap in the burst of air before settling back over her muzzle, which set us all off laughing again. ~You mentioned a bath? I think I may still have some dignity left to lose.~ She snorted again, finally dislodging the dress and causing it to fall to the ground, and started to head toward the water. Once we were all finished laughing Jezz and I stripped down so we could join her.

It was a nice day for a swim, warm with very few clouds. The water was a bit cold, but we quickly got used to it while we got our Drakans clean. Once they were nice and shiny we all splashed around and swam, until Grayle and Michelle decided to leave the water to dry off in the early afternoon sun. Jezz and I kept splashing and playing for a bit, until we felt it was nearly time for us to be getting ready for combat practice. I left the water, my fur dripping wet, and casually strolled between both Drakans who were now dozing in the sun. Then once I was in position I shook off all the water in my fur, getting them both wet again in the process. Hearing the Drakans squeal in surprise was well worth them both chasing me back into the lake.

I was finally dry, and in my clothes again, as we sat down to wait for Patar to retrieve us. Jezz laid down with her head in my lap holding my hand. Her voice was like satin in my mind as we both relaxed. ~So was your trip to the temple productive?~

~Far more so than I thought it would be,~ I replied. ~I found out where the world-gate to Earth is. It’s right in the center of Pysis.~

~That’s going to make it difficult to destroy,~ Jezz replied in concern.

~I may have some ideas, and there’s plenty of time to plan before Earth’s gate is usable again I think.~ I ran my fingers through her hair and caressed one of her wings as I thought, ~I’m more concerned about the new gate.~

~New gate?~ Michelle asked sleepily.

~Yeah. When I was in the temple I got one of those dreams again. Selune apparently decided to have me play messenger girl to let Priestess Alizia know that She approves of me building a multi-gate. One that can access any world with a gate.~

~That sounds promising; there hasn’t been a working gate in close to three hundred passes. I wonder why Selune waited so long to have another made,~ Jezz replied.

I sighed as I considered that. ~I think because She was afraid of Lharus just destroying them again. I also think that Itari had something to do with this. The new gate is to be on the north shore of Misalet Lake. Azure is the center of Itari’s power, and They may feel a gate will be safer here. There are also some modifications that include crystals from the fountain. Alizia thinks they may be security precautions that limit gate use.~

~Sounds like we’re in for interesting times,~ Michelle put in.

~Yeah, at least you can never say life in the Greylands is boring.~ I leaned down to kiss Jezz as I thought, ~Which is even more reason for us all to prepare ourselves for the future.~

I looked up from our kiss to see Runne coming in for a landing. Jezz sighed in my arms as she added, ~No time like the present.~ We got to our feet to collect Chrissy and Pounce, and gave our Drakans a big hug before Jezz flew up toward the courtyard and I mounted Runne. Soon we were both in the practice yards with our weapons in hand as we waited for the others.